


A shoulder to lean on

by TwoBladeBae



Category: One Piece
Genre: First Crush, First Love, M/M, Pining, sometimes you just need someone to listen, whitebeard gives great advice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22952377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoBladeBae/pseuds/TwoBladeBae
Summary: At twenty years old, Izo has never had a crush.Well, until now, that is. Being part of the Whitebeards meant new experiences; he was just lucky his captain was such a good listener.
Relationships: Izou/Thatch (One Piece)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 74





	A shoulder to lean on

**Author's Note:**

> Wano spoilers regarding the way Izo joined the crew and about his backstory.

Whitebeard knew all of his children well, and that included knowing what to do when they were upset. Usually he was able to help out; or at least, he tried his best. 

Marco, in bird fashion, liked to sit on his shoulder to calm down. It became his favorite perch, and he would speak to whitebeard from his seat there quite often, no matter what it was that troubled him. Whitebeard would see flashes of blue from the corner of his eye and know he was transforming as often as his troubled mind changed topics; but he never worried, for he knew that was how he dealt with his feelings. He would find a proper form eventually and begin to speak when he was ready. 

Haruta preferred his knee. They would sit cross legged and sign quite frantically, understanding that sometimes they would have to summarize and repeat things, as Whitebeard was quite large and Haruta was very small, with hands that moved very quickly. The man could usually figure out what was bothering them by the gestures and expressions they made, and by picking out signs where he could. Once they tired themselves out after a rant they could sign slower and clearer for him to get the point across, and by then they usually felt better. 

Thatch, his newest recruit, liked to sprawl across his shoulder and lay upside down for as long as he could handle it as he talked. (Which, they found out, was quite a while. Whitebeard began to joke that his hair wasn’t styled, it was just stuck from him laying upside down too long). He usually never needed support or advice, just an ear to listen to his troubles. Whitebeard was more than happy to do that for him, and he always knew when the man was feeling better by the way he’d sit up and thank him. 

And yet, after so much time on the crew, there was one son he still hadn’t seen on his shoulder. Izo wasn’t too keen on joining the crew in the first place; after being dragged on by Oden and then left behind later on, whitebeard was expecting him to still have some hesitation about being a member of the crew. Though he’d taken the mark and declared himself a full whitebeard, he was still nervous. 

After the third day of watching him move angrily about the ship he reached down, picking him up by the back of his kimono with the tips of two of his fingers. The man let out a yell, probably the loudest sound he’d heard out of him so far, trying to figure out what the hell had happened. 

Whitebeard placed the man in the palm of his other hand, watching him with a stern expression. He was concerned, and a little upset the man hadn’t come to him sooner if he was feeling like this. 

“What the hell?!” Izo’s entire face was red as he smoothed out the silk fabric of his clothing, staring up at the older man with wide eyes. “Pops! You scared me half to death!” 

Whitebeard only laughed. “Son, something is bothering you. I can see it. You’re not acting like yourself.” He tried using one finger to push his hair back so he could see his face better, but Izo did it for him before he could. 

The young man looked away, a soft blush coating his cheeks as he stayed deep in thought. He wasn’t sure he was ready to talk about it yet; to his  _ captain  _ no less. 

“Could I just sit here?” He asked, slowly turning his gaze back up to the much larger man. “Just so I’m not...alone?” And so he didn’t have to avoid a certain someone anymore, but he didn’t want to say that part out loud. 

Whitebeard nodded, moving his hand closer to his body and giving him a chance to climb onto his shoulder if he truly wanted to. 

It took Izo a few moments to accept his invitation, slowly moving from his palm to his shoulder and getting comfortable. He liked it up here; he could see why his siblings enjoyed this spot. 

The two sat in silence for a little while, with Izo simply enjoying the sunshine and the light ocean breeze that came from the gentle waters they were currently sailing on. It made him happy; and he couldn’t imagine not being on a ship anymore. Of course he missed Wano, but...this was his new home now. 

Izo cleared his throat a bit a while later, turning his body towards Whitebeard’s head. He reached up, running his fingers through his hair with a soft smile. Him and Kiku used to brush or braid each other’s hair often; especially when one of them was upset and needed a distraction while they vented about what had caused their discomfort. 

“Pops,” he began, raising his voice enough to be able to be heard over the wind. “Is it okay...can I braid your hair?” He tried to sound confident in his question, but of course it sounded like a silly request. Whitebeard probably didn’t even want it braided! His cheeks began to heat up a bit at the idea, one hand coming up to rub the back of his neck nervously. 

“Of course,” Whitebeard turned his head slightly, just enough to see the man’s face as he spoke to him. “If it’ll make you feel better, go right ahead.” 

Izo let out a relieved sigh, thanking him softly before grabbing a few sections of his hair to work with. He ran his fingers through it, admiring how soft and thick it was and how he knew Kiku would be incredibly jealous. With a small frown he began to work, hands moving on their own and giving his brain a break. 

It was one of the things he loved most about the activity; he was able to do it well enough that it was muscle memory now, and it just gave him enough to do with his hands to clear his mind and allow him to think properly. Dark eyes followed his fingers as they moved, following the pattern and the way it locked together so well. He even felt himself start to relax a bit. 

But, it was still a good twenty minutes or so before he felt ready to begin speaking at all. 

“I have a small problem,” He finally confessed, his voice just loud enough for Whitebeard to hear while staying soft and a little embarrassed. “It’s not really something I’ve dealt with before, to be honest...I didn’t really have a normal childhood that would give me the opportunity for these things.” 

Whitebeard closed his eyes and simply listened, ready to speak up if needed but it seemed to be that Izo just wanted to let it all out before getting advice. He could do that. 

“And I mean, it’s not even really that big of a problem! It’s just that it makes me distracted, and I feel like I need to hide all the time, and it makes it really difficult to go to the kitchen…” Izo pouted, pushing his lips to one side and allowing his cheek to puff out slightly. He briefly admired his work with the first braid before moving to start a second one. 

He stayed silent for a bit while he worked, cheeks beginning to heat up more and more as he thought about the problem. God, it just wasn’t fair. 

“This problem of yours,” Whitebeard’s voice made Izo jump slightly, like he’d forgotten he wasn’t alone or sitting on the captain’s shoulder. “Does it have to do with another crewmate?” 

God damn it, how did he know? 

“It... _ yes _ .” His voice was softer now, eyelids falling a bit. He continued to work on the second braid, chewing gently on his lower lip while he considered his next words very carefully. “I may have...well it seems that I, kind of...developed  _ feelings _ for someone. A crush, I believe is the word? This has never happened before, so I’m...really shy, and I keep feeling like I need to hide.”   
  
Both men were silent for a bit as the words settled between them, Izo’s hands continuing to braid despite the way he felt like he just wanted to jump off his shoulder and go find a place to hide again. 

It didn’t take Whitebeard long at all to narrow down who the mystery person could be. He’d seen the way the man had been acting lately, and who he’d been around during those times, along with his comment about the kitchen. There was only one man Izo’s age that was an apprentice in the kitchens…

“I don’t think he would be angry,” He started, reaching up and giving him a reassuring pat on the back with one finger. He remembered to be gentle, as Izo was very small compared to him. Surely to normal humans he was tall, but everyone was tiny to him. “That is, if you want to tell him. But if you just need to get things out of your system, you can always come to me. I am your father, after all!”   
  
This made Izo pause, his eyes widening a bit at the thought. After his father died, he never really had someone to take over that role in his life. Oden was close, but not close enough. Whitebeard, however…   


“Thank you.” He leaned in, resting his head against the older man’s cheek and letting his eyes fall closed. It felt so nice to have someone to talk to about these kinds of things. “I never understood why people said they got butterflies around someone, but with him…I feel them constantly.” 

He stayed silent for a little while, holding one of the man’s braids lightly in his fingers. It felt good to finally get it out; it had been eating away at him for too long. “I feel better now.” 

“Good!” Whitebeard laughed his usual deep, bellowing laugh that nearly shook the ship. He reached up and rubbed Izo’s back lightly with one finger, happy that his son was finally being more open like this. “Now, I believe it’s almost dinnertime. You should head that way.” 

“Yeah, I should.” He scooted himself forward, waiting for the man to raise his palm up once again. He thanked him softly, stepping down from his shoulder with a smile. 

Whitebeard let him off on his knee, reaching up again and running his fingers over the braids Izo had done while up there. He laughed, nodding down at him. “You’ve got talent. Come back and do my hair anytime.” 

Izo paused, cheeks turning a nice shade of pink to match the silk of his kimono and he rubbed the back of his neck shyly. “Thanks...I’ll remember that.” He took a step back, unaware of just how close he was to the edge of his leg. With a small yelp he tumbled off, flailing his arms very ungracefully as he plummeted towards the hard wood of the deck. 

He braced himself for it, clenching his eyes shut and trying to prepare for impact. 

But the impact never came. Instead he fell directly into the arms of another crewmate, knocking him onto his backside in the process. It took them both a moment to recover, and Izo sat up with an apology on his lips before the face of his savior made him freeze. 

“Whoa, you okay? Took a hard fall there.” 

It was Thatch; the very redhead he had been trying to  _ avoid _ for so long. His face burned a darker shade of red as he stared, eyes blown wide and voice caught somewhere deep in his throat. 

“I— Um...thank you.” He pulled back a bit, wringing his hands together but not moving off of him. 

“Izo, right? Don’t think we’ve gotten a real chance to talk. Y’always seem in such a hurry.” He grinned, a wide, toothy grin that made Izo’s heart thump a little faster. “Didn’t hurt yourself, right? I think Marco’s testing out his healing powers today. You might get lucky with a quick recovery.” 

Izo cleared his throat and nodded, before quickly shaking his head. “I’m Izo, yes...but I’m not hurt. Thanks to you…” he cracked a smile, unable to hold back. Thatch was just...so cute. He slowly climbed off of his lap, standing up and brushing off the back of his kimono. 

He paused then, holding out a hand to the other teen to help him up. 

Thatch took it happily, squeezing Izo’s own and pulling himself up to his feet. He brushed off his pants before jabbing a thumb towards the galley behind them. 

“We should head in there before the rest of the crew hits and takes all the good food. Yeah?” He gave the other’s hand a gentle squeeze, encouraging him to follow. 

Izo stole a glance back at Whitebeard, watching for a sign that it was okay; that he was making a good choice. The man only gave a soft nod in response, smiling down at the two in support. 

He turned back to Thatch, returning his smile and nodding to him. The butterflies in his stomach wouldn’t quit and he was beginning to feel lightheaded. Was this what a crush felt like…? He was beginning to like it. With pink cheeks and a soft squeeze to the redhead’s hand, he nodded, smiling. 

“I’d love to.”


End file.
